Curated OER
Microscopic Water Life
Students use a light microscope to observe the organisms living in a sample of ocean or fresh water. Students create a drawing of the organisms that they observe. Students then discuss the different body plans of the organisms and the...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Be a Scanning Probe Microscope
Extensive reading is done in order to learn about scanning probe microscopy and nanoscale. Afterward, individuals use a pencil to probe an unidentified object that is inside of a box so that they cannot see it. Using only what they could...
Polar Trec
Drawing Diatoms like Ernst Haeckel
Why do scientists rely on drawings rather than just photographs of their research studies? The activity introduces drawings of microscopic organisms and the importance of accuracy. Young artists draw organisms and learn why focus and...
Curated OER
Microfishing
Students use a simple method to collect living microorganisms from natural and/or artificial environments and develop skills in microscopy, observation, drawing, speculation, hypothesizing, oral presentation, and raising questions.
Curated OER
Discovering Mitosis in Onion Roots
High schoolers discover the different stages of mitosis by examining onion roots under a microscope, drawing diagrams of what they see, and organizing collected data in a chart and create a pie graph from their lab data.
Curated OER
Underneath the Microscope
Eighth graders enhance their skills in operating a microscope. They become comfortable with the vocabulary associated with microscopes and investigate how to place slides and focus them properly using the microscope. Students are given...
Cornell University
Plant Cell Crime Scene
Use science to solve the mystery of the Poplar murder. Pupils use forensic botany to determine if a suspect could be the killer. By analyzing images from a Transmission Electron Microscope, learners determine if the material found on the...
Curated OER
How Can We Study the Differences in Animal and Plant Cells Using the Compound Microscope?
Students examine their cheek cells with a compound microscope. They identify different parts of the cell. They compare and contrast animal and plant cells with the microscope as well.
University of Minnesota
Close-up of the Nervous System
Make sure your class gets on your nerves! Learners of all ages practice peering into the nervous system to see what's inside. Groups examine prepared slides of mammalian nervous system tissues, all while gaining microscope skills. The...
Odell Education
Plant and Animal Cells
Incorporate multiple facets of the cell into your next high school lab! Through an introduction to cell organelles, class members observe each cell type and draw visuals to further demonstrate understanding of cellular processes in both...
Curated OER
Applied Science-Science and Math Lab
Learners explore magnification. In this scientific observation skills lesson plan, students observe sea life items and draw pictures of what they observe. Learners predict which lens will have the strongest magnification when given three...
NOAA
Mud is Mud...or is it?
We know that the type of soil varies by location, but does the seafloor sediment also vary, or is it all the same? Scholars compare photos of the seafloor from two different locations: the Savannah Scarp and the Charleston Bump. Through...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Science and Math Lab
Young scholars examine fabric. In this Applied Science lesson, students look at the fibers of fabric through a microscope. Young scholars compare and contrast a variety of fibers.
Curated OER
Cells: Nature's Building Blocks
What you will find on this page is the general outline of a unit on the use of a microscope and the structure of the cell. There is no actual educational content here, so you will need to design the details of each of the four student...
Curated OER
Light Microscopes
Seventh graders study the parts of a light microscope, and its proper use. They identify each part and explain why it is important to know how to use this tool. They practice observing newsprint on a wet mount slide.
Curated OER
Microscope Basics
Young scholars examine a microscope and learn its parts. In this microscope lesson students study the different parts of the microscope and see the differences in the adjustments then make their own wet slide.
Kenan Fellows
Microorganisms in Pond Water
That is living in the water? Groups of two to three view pond water with microscopes in order to find microorganisms. They draw pictures of the ones they find in their slides. The groups compare their drawings to pictures of common pond...
Curated OER
Exploring Magnification and the Micro-world
Students examine what magnification is and does. In this microscope and magnification lesson, students listen to a reading of Greg's Microscope by Millicent E. Selson which explains what a microscope does. They talk about magnification...
Curated OER
Selling Cells: a Study of Organelles and Cell Structure
Students study cellular structures and functions. In this cell function lesson students participate in a class discussion then make a drawing of the cell they are discussing.
NOAA
Toxic! Or Is It?
Super scientists tests the toxicity of water using radish seed bioassays. Over the course of five days, scholars observe the germination process of several radish seeds, looking closely at their roots to determine the level of toxins...
Curated OER
Seed Dispersion of Strawberries and Dandelions
Students investigate how seeds are dispersed on land. In this plant biology lesson, students use a dissecting microscope to study strawberry seeds and dandelion seeds, they draw what they see, then create a hypothesis on the seeds by...
Curated OER
Size and Shape
Students observe different substances under the microscope. In this space science lesson, students identify the different features of SEM images. They formulate a conclusion about the images of Mars meteorites.
Curated OER
Zoom into Microscopy
Students discover proper microscope use. In this microscopy lesson, students create picture books that show the detail of organisms as seen with the human eye, through a hand lens, and at each power of the microscope.
Curated OER
Micros-organisms
Sixth graders examine mold with a microscope. In this micro-organisms activity, 6th graders use teacher-prepared mold samples to prepare a wet-mount slide and examine the mold under a microscope then draw and label what they see.